Pre-launch Buzz

Two weeks prior to its launch date of Feb. 21, 2010, Celebration Church in Lawton, Okla., gave away $4,200 in free gas and groceries at local gas stations and grocery stores. Church volunteers stood in front of the participating businesses and passed out $15 gas cards and $30 grocery cards with a note: “Compliments of Celebration Church of Lawton” and the church’s website address.

A gas station manager told volunteers that people called the store for hours afterward asking about the church. “Our town has 50,000 homes. We launched in the cold and rain with 143 people in attendance, including 30 children,” says Brandye Goudeaux, founder and lead pastor with her husband, Steve. “It was a great day!”